Amazon.co.uk Review
This 1998 testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continued Hollywood's millennium-fuelled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understand what mainstream audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but, of course, lovable) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishising of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also try to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable to populate the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humour and charisma.
When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable female characters--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'". Sadly, she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than all the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Customer Reviews:
It Is Awesome.......2007-12-10
Armageddon is really emotional and it is The Best it is one of those films were it takes quite a while to get into but at the ending it is well worth watching Me and my freind cant stop watching this. It is so sad! From chaz and krissi
Anthropologically inspiring.......2007-11-04
The film opens with the twin towers standing proud and tall in New York City. We are in 1998. The US had not yet been the victim of that deep fit of terror fright which is just as frightening as space fright. It was a time when the US were already deeply obsessed by the end of the world (as always and ever in their short history), and since the USSR did not exist any more, and China was not yet seen as the new contender, they were exploring the danger from outer space anew. They could accept the idea of more or less showing a few Moslem pictures along with dominant Christian ones. The strict separation of religions had not yet reached Hollywood. The enemy that the US mind needs to be able to think the proper way was a big piece of rock coming from far far away in space and the size of Texas, read my lips of course. But why do the US always think the world as having to come to an end and why envisaging this end as having to be a fight, even against a piece of rock? If the world has to have an end, and it sure has to because nothing is eternal, why not prepare for death that may occur any time? If humanity has to have an end too and it will have an end since it had a beginning, why not just getting ready to meet that end in dignity? Why always see that end as a catastrophe? What's more why do the US always end at once thinking of themselves as the saviors of the world as soon as they speak of that end? The world will have to come of age and be able one day to face its future, no matter what, in other terms than a savior and a mass of repenting and grateful individuals? But the film is a lot more interesting when seen ten years after its shooting. The world can be saved by the human race itself. Good. We had not reached the great paranoia of climate change yet. To save the world one individual will have to sacrifice himself for it and that one is the father and not the son. That is a complete inversion of the Christian myth. But even better, in fact worse, that savior, that redeemer, that self-sacrificial person is a man, as if women were not yet of age for that kind of selfless sacrifice. But note that father has a daughter and there is no mother anywhere. Is it a sign of our times when families are broken up everywhere? Or is it a sign of the superiority of men, though there is another divorced couple with a son and the son is taken care of by his mother (inverted situation). So where is the real truth about this question? I personally have the impression that the film is ten years old and that in Hollywood they could ten years ago still produce such films that are definitely slightly male chauvinistic with just a light, very light touch of female liberation if not only female presence to avoid any gay ambiguity. Slightly passé, and also a little bit long as for the scenes on the meteorite.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
FANTASY STUFF.......2007-09-26
Great action and special effects. Don't take the story too seriously but hey, who knows what might be hurtling towards us from space?
An Earth flattening size meteor is on a collision course with Earth. Step forward the US of A. Bruce and his burly gang of deep sea oil drillers are trained in astronautics (not sure if that's a valid word) and sent on an intercept mission to land (yes land) on the meteor, drill to its' centre and detonate a nuclear warhead. Something very similar happened to me on the way home the other evening.
After many tragedies and setbacks it's mission accomplished. Not everybody returns home but you'll have to watch the film or i'll spoil it.
Well worth watching but like i said earlier, the story is 'fantastic'
Thought Provoking..........2007-09-04
Armageddon is one of those movies which u either love or hate. On one hand u have the critics who drill the film for its all American hero storyline whereby the rest of the earth relies on their amazing technology and wisdom to save the planet from disastrous consequences. On the other hand u have the people who just enjoy the movie for its great storyline, stupendous action sequences and how it generally acknoledges the human race as one...I'm the latter. I saw this movie in 1998, i was only 15 at the time, and as we all know movies influence us a lot at that age, but back then i was convinced it was the greatest movie ever made (i was young, forgive me!)
Since then I've seen many action movies, but they're getting worse as time passes unfortunately, but I've always looked at Armageddon as the last great heroism movie. It encapsulates action, intrigue and our love for one another as a human race, something which only seems to shine when disaster is looming...
The highlight of the movie is not the cast, the effects, the story, the directing...its the soundtrack, and i don't mean the pop songs by Aerosmith, Journey etc, but the orchestral score, some moments in the film like when the president is giving his speach and when the world is given bad news of failure the score plays brilliantly into the movies attitude and almost has u in tears.
It is Disney's highest grossing film to date ($500,000,000+) and deserves it, its not an epic, its entertainment, so don't knock the film and place it against Apollo 13 or anything else like that, its unfair.
disengage brain and enjoy!.......2007-07-07
This is one of those movies so bad it's great! OTT? Yep. Realistic...snort...this is Hollywood, mind. You want real? Watch Discovery Channel. I think, this movie makes it clear it's out for fun and to pull the heartstrings. A Doggie attacking Godzilla? Fix my parking tickets? Stay in the White House for six months? Tell them who shot Kennedy? If you are wanting realism, you are barking up the wrong tree. Obviously, the movie doesn't take itself serious, but is out for sheer fun.
Pop a bowl of popcorn, turn up the home movie system and kick back. It's funny, it's silly, it's corny, it defies all logic at times, but it's damn fun entertainment. I think sometimes we forget a movie is just a movie - meant to give us an escape for 2 hours or so. I laughed, sniggered, and like a sap, cried at this fluff.
Sometimes you just need B-movies to get away from it all for a while. So this one earns a place on my keeper shelf next to The Queen of Outer Space, Forbidden Planet, The Thing (both versions) and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Buscemi is worth the ticket alone!!
Customer Reviews:
Not a Promising Start to a Series.......2007-10-06
This is the first in a series of four DVDs. Apocalypse continues in the tradition of the Left Behind movies but on a much smaller budget, bad acting and worse script. In this production you have a male and female co-anchor of a news network caught in the middle as armies descend into the Valley of Armageddon, millions of people vanish, and a charismatic leader arises.
Of course this rapture movie that is suppose to help in the premillennial evangelical crowd convince people of their beliefs looks as if it is filmed with a videocassette recorder with some old news real stock spliced in. It did not help the film any by having those who were "raptured" across the world leave behind all their clothes washed and folded; and one even is able to leave a written note behind. The movie does do a good job at showing you how a person with no conscience who wants absolute power turns a population's anger on some innocent group.
The soundtrack has some good Christian music on it, but that is understandable when you read the credits and see the small recording label donated the songs for the movies use. Yet no credits are given from the old newsreel tragedies that were used. If you want to watch this, do as I am doing with the series, check it out from the library. You will not want to watch it more then once.
Customer Reviews:
Hey, my copy of the bible has revelation at the end!.......2007-03-01
Prepare for an incredible journey through modern-day New York as Jesus makes his unannounced return. The lawyers aren't worried, but the Devil is - he talks to his audience through staged microphone and black-and-white camcorders! Mary Magdelene seems to be alive and well in New York too, helping our Lord to locate the Book of Life (a laptop!) and open the three remaining seals, thus bringing about the end of the world.
Among all this major character action is the simple tale of a New Yorker who wins the lottery and then has her soul put in jeopardy by a well-meaning friend.
As with other films by Hal Hartley, suspending disbelief and engrossing yourself in independent film-making at its very best results in a refreshing experience, a feel-good factor that rarely occurs in modern cinema.
Amazon.co.uk Review
This 1998 testosterone-saturated blow-'em-up from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) continued Hollywood's millennium-fuelled fascination with the destruction of our planet. There's no arguing that the successful duo understand what mainstream audiences want in their blockbuster movies--loads of loud, eye-popping special effects, rapid-fire pacing, and patriotic flag waving. Bay's protagonists--the eight crude, lewd, oversexed (but, of course, lovable) oil drillers summoned to save the world from a Texas-sized meteor hurling toward the earth--are not flawless heroes, but common men with whom all can relate. In this huge Western-in-space soap opera, they're American cowboys turned astronauts. Sci-fi buffs will appreciate Bay's fetishising of technology, even though it's apparent he doesn't understand it as anything more than flashing lights and shiny gadgets. Smartly, the duo also try to lure the art-house crowd, raiding the local indie acting stable to populate the film with guys like Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Owen Wilson, and Michael Duncan, all adding needed touches of humour and charisma.
When Bay applies his sledgehammer aesthetics to the action portions of the film, it's mindless fun; it's only when Armageddon tackles humanity that it becomes truly offensive. Not since Mississippi Burning have racial and cultural stereotypes been substituted for characters so blatantly--African Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Scottish, Samoans, Muslims, French ... if it's not white and American, Bay simplifies it. Or, make that white male America; the film features only three notable female characters--four if you count the meteor, who's constantly referred to as a "bitch that needs drillin'". Sadly, she's a hell of a lot more developed and unpredictable than all the other women characters combined. Sure, Bay's film creates some tension and contains some visceral moments, but if he can't create any redeemable characters outside of those in space, what's the point of saving the planet? --Dave McCoy
Customer Reviews:
It Is Awesome.......2007-12-10
Armageddon is really emotional and it is The Best it is one of those films were it takes quite a while to get into but at the ending it is well worth watching Me and my freind cant stop watching this. It is so sad! From chaz and krissi
Anthropologically inspiring.......2007-11-04
The film opens with the twin towers standing proud and tall in New York City. We are in 1998. The US had not yet been the victim of that deep fit of terror fright which is just as frightening as space fright. It was a time when the US were already deeply obsessed by the end of the world (as always and ever in their short history), and since the USSR did not exist any more, and China was not yet seen as the new contender, they were exploring the danger from outer space anew. They could accept the idea of more or less showing a few Moslem pictures along with dominant Christian ones. The strict separation of religions had not yet reached Hollywood. The enemy that the US mind needs to be able to think the proper way was a big piece of rock coming from far far away in space and the size of Texas, read my lips of course. But why do the US always think the world as having to come to an end and why envisaging this end as having to be a fight, even against a piece of rock? If the world has to have an end, and it sure has to because nothing is eternal, why not prepare for death that may occur any time? If humanity has to have an end too and it will have an end since it had a beginning, why not just getting ready to meet that end in dignity? Why always see that end as a catastrophe? What's more why do the US always end at once thinking of themselves as the saviors of the world as soon as they speak of that end? The world will have to come of age and be able one day to face its future, no matter what, in other terms than a savior and a mass of repenting and grateful individuals? But the film is a lot more interesting when seen ten years after its shooting. The world can be saved by the human race itself. Good. We had not reached the great paranoia of climate change yet. To save the world one individual will have to sacrifice himself for it and that one is the father and not the son. That is a complete inversion of the Christian myth. But even better, in fact worse, that savior, that redeemer, that self-sacrificial person is a man, as if women were not yet of age for that kind of selfless sacrifice. But note that father has a daughter and there is no mother anywhere. Is it a sign of our times when families are broken up everywhere? Or is it a sign of the superiority of men, though there is another divorced couple with a son and the son is taken care of by his mother (inverted situation). So where is the real truth about this question? I personally have the impression that the film is ten years old and that in Hollywood they could ten years ago still produce such films that are definitely slightly male chauvinistic with just a light, very light touch of female liberation if not only female presence to avoid any gay ambiguity. Slightly passé, and also a little bit long as for the scenes on the meteorite.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines
FANTASY STUFF.......2007-09-26
Great action and special effects. Don't take the story too seriously but hey, who knows what might be hurtling towards us from space?
An Earth flattening size meteor is on a collision course with Earth. Step forward the US of A. Bruce and his burly gang of deep sea oil drillers are trained in astronautics (not sure if that's a valid word) and sent on an intercept mission to land (yes land) on the meteor, drill to its' centre and detonate a nuclear warhead. Something very similar happened to me on the way home the other evening.
After many tragedies and setbacks it's mission accomplished. Not everybody returns home but you'll have to watch the film or i'll spoil it.
Well worth watching but like i said earlier, the story is 'fantastic'
Thought Provoking..........2007-09-04
Armageddon is one of those movies which u either love or hate. On one hand u have the critics who drill the film for its all American hero storyline whereby the rest of the earth relies on their amazing technology and wisdom to save the planet from disastrous consequences. On the other hand u have the people who just enjoy the movie for its great storyline, stupendous action sequences and how it generally acknoledges the human race as one...I'm the latter. I saw this movie in 1998, i was only 15 at the time, and as we all know movies influence us a lot at that age, but back then i was convinced it was the greatest movie ever made (i was young, forgive me!)
Since then I've seen many action movies, but they're getting worse as time passes unfortunately, but I've always looked at Armageddon as the last great heroism movie. It encapsulates action, intrigue and our love for one another as a human race, something which only seems to shine when disaster is looming...
The highlight of the movie is not the cast, the effects, the story, the directing...its the soundtrack, and i don't mean the pop songs by Aerosmith, Journey etc, but the orchestral score, some moments in the film like when the president is giving his speach and when the world is given bad news of failure the score plays brilliantly into the movies attitude and almost has u in tears.
It is Disney's highest grossing film to date ($500,000,000+) and deserves it, its not an epic, its entertainment, so don't knock the film and place it against Apollo 13 or anything else like that, its unfair.
disengage brain and enjoy!.......2007-07-07
This is one of those movies so bad it's great! OTT? Yep. Realistic...snort...this is Hollywood, mind. You want real? Watch Discovery Channel. I think, this movie makes it clear it's out for fun and to pull the heartstrings. A Doggie attacking Godzilla? Fix my parking tickets? Stay in the White House for six months? Tell them who shot Kennedy? If you are wanting realism, you are barking up the wrong tree. Obviously, the movie doesn't take itself serious, but is out for sheer fun.
Pop a bowl of popcorn, turn up the home movie system and kick back. It's funny, it's silly, it's corny, it defies all logic at times, but it's damn fun entertainment. I think sometimes we forget a movie is just a movie - meant to give us an escape for 2 hours or so. I laughed, sniggered, and like a sap, cried at this fluff.
Sometimes you just need B-movies to get away from it all for a while. So this one earns a place on my keeper shelf next to The Queen of Outer Space, Forbidden Planet, The Thing (both versions) and The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Buscemi is worth the ticket alone!!
Customer Reviews:
LA techno thriller that's more than it seems........2000-05-08
Misunderstood ? Yes. Pretentious ? Maybe. Compellingly watchable ? Definitely. On the surface, this appears to be the average techno thriller, but as is typical with Wim Wenders, he steps outside the rules and gives you something else. Visually, this film is stunning. The music, provided by Ry Cooder, is excellent - as is the rest of the soundtrack, which features U2, Eels and Tom Waits. The main story is about Bill Pullman's abuduction/salvation and the subsequent police investigation. Wenders then takes the elements typical in such films and plays with them : whether it's Loren Dean's good-guy cop or Gabriel Byrne's troubled research scientist, the lives of the characters are linked by one thing : violence. And the most striking thing about this film is that there is very little violence in it -in fact, it all takes place off screen. While the stories may seem to hang together perhaps a little too loosely, which some may find unsatisfying, this is a 'cool' film like "Nikita" or "Leon" (minus the violence, of course!). It's intelligent, quirky, very stylish, and a film that leaves you with some unforgettable images.
Customer Reviews:
Not a Promising Start to a Series.......2007-10-06
This is the first in a series of four DVDs. Apocalypse continues in the tradition of the Left Behind movies but on a much smaller budget, bad acting and worse script. In this production you have a male and female co-anchor of a news network caught in the middle as armies descend into the Valley of Armageddon, millions of people vanish, and a charismatic leader arises.
Of course this rapture movie that is suppose to help in the premillennial evangelical crowd convince people of their beliefs looks as if it is filmed with a videocassette recorder with some old news real stock spliced in. It did not help the film any by having those who were "raptured" across the world leave behind all their clothes washed and folded; and one even is able to leave a written note behind. The movie does do a good job at showing you how a person with no conscience who wants absolute power turns a population's anger on some innocent group.
The soundtrack has some good Christian music on it, but that is understandable when you read the credits and see the small recording label donated the songs for the movies use. Yet no credits are given from the old newsreel tragedies that were used. If you want to watch this, do as I am doing with the series, check it out from the library. You will not want to watch it more then once.
DVD Review:
- Arsenal - End Of Season Review 2003/2004
- Backyard Brawling Babes, Part 2 (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Baja Diaries
- Baseball's Greatest Legends: Diamond Memories [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- Beginning Golf - Long Game For Women
- Beginning Golf - Short Game For Women
- Big Arms Through Boxing
- Brainstorm [1983] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
- British Superbike Review 2003
- Burning of the Imperial Palace [All Region] [import]
DVD Review List
DVD Review
![Armageddon [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21UStc9EOtL.jpg)
All Action & Adventure
|
Action & Adventure
|
Categories
|
DVD
|
Video
![Deep Impact - Special Edition [1998]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002Z9WM0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Deep Impact - Special Edition [1998]
![Independence Day [1996]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00028491G.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Independence Day [1996]
![The Rock (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [1996]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005U1XO.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
The Rock (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [1996]
![Pearl Harbor DVD (2 Disc Set) [2001]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005QB7O.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Pearl Harbor DVD (2 Disc Set) [2001]
![Twister [1996]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004D307.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
Twister [1996]
![Armageddon [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://www.bill88.com/buy.gif)
![Apocalypse - Caught in the Eye of the Storm [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21qiUX-SeCL.jpg)
![Judgment [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000059MPN.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Tribulation [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000051S4V.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Revelation [1999]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004T0YB.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Deceived [2002] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002T2R1O.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005UW81.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Book of Life [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21DVZBWT2SL.jpg)
![The Girl From Monday [2005] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000C65ZA2.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Flirt [1997]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004CUUS.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Henry Fool [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0000E5NQ0.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![No Such Thing [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000066JBR.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![The Hole [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/211D9Y73GAL.jpg)
![What Time Is it There? [2001] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000068TP3.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Goodbye, Dragon Inn [2004] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0006TPDUM.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Rebels of the Neon God [1992] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00007KK1O.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![I Don't Want to Sleep Alone [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000W07ENO.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Flowers of Shanghai [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005K9OM.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Armageddon [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H8585X85L.gif)
![Summer's End [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21D9RW49NSL.jpg)
![Veggie Tales Sing Alongs: End of Silliness [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/218FBWtku9L.jpg)
![Countdown to Armageddon [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/3171X2X55VL.gif)
![The End of Violence [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21KPANS8QXL.jpg)
![Hammett [1982] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000AOEMYG.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Don't Come Knocking [2005]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000FS9PA8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Far Away, So Close [1994] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004W4UC.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Million Dollar Hotel [2000]](http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00004XQT8.01.THUMBZZZ.jpg)
![Apocalypse: Caught in the Eye of the Storm [1998] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/215NR6RHA0L.jpg)